


An Old Recipe

by WahlBuilder



Category: Mars: War Logs
Genre: Cooking, Fluff, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-02
Updated: 2018-12-02
Packaged: 2019-09-05 17:25:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16815157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WahlBuilder/pseuds/WahlBuilder
Summary: Tenacity is cooking, but Roy has doubts about that.





	An Old Recipe

‘Is this even eatable?’

‘You mean, is it edible?’

‘No, I’m sure it’s edible. I’m not sure it’s _eatable_.’ Roy stared at the pot in morbid fascination. He had been staring for a couple of hours already, growing less and less convinced that the… _contents_ of the pot could be eaten. It had been simmering for longer than he was watching it, and he was afraid to poke it with a spoon because a few suspiciously black bits had floated to the surface and then disappeared in the murky depths again.

The stove was radiating warmth, however, and the contents of the pot gave off a deceptively tantalising aroma, thick with green herbs.

‘Are you insulting my cooking skills?’ Tenacity loomed over him wielding a large ladle. His face was stormy.

Roy waved him off. ‘Your cooking is fine. Usually. I ate that mole meat you cooked by wrapping it in leaves, burying it in the sand and leaving it for a day, didn’t I.’

Tenacity grumbled something then leaned over him, took the spoon from his hand, and stirred the pot. Roy watched something green and round popping up and following the spoon for a while.

It’s an old family recipe,’ Tenacity said.

‘It’s what they cook in the army,’ Innocence replied. He sat down on the other side of the stove and pulled his knees to his chest.

Roy looked up. ‘Tenacity, I didn’t know you were in the army.’

The hunter turned away. ‘Everyone was in the army.’

‘I wasn’t in the army,’ Mary said, finding another free spot near the stove and tucking her feet under herself.

‘That’s because you are a Technomancer,’ Tenacity rumbled. He left Roy’s field of vision, and Roy didn’t like that.

‘Yes, but Technomancers are a part of the army in Abundance,’ she noted.

Innocence frowned. ‘But aren’t you an Auroran Technomancer?’

‘Originally…’

Their discussion dissolved into an exchange of thoughts on differences in the army structure between the two Guilds, but Roy wasn’t paying attention. The black bits floated up _again_.

‘Tenacity. It’s been simmering for _hours_ ,’ Roy said. He was feeling rather panicked. He was sure they had put minced mole meat and various vegetables into it, then Tenacity added flour (to thicken it perhaps?), and nothing should have been black. But Roy hadn’t been looking closely for the first two hours, so maybe Tenacity had added something else. ‘What kind of dish is being prepared for _hours_?’

‘Sometimes it’s cooked for days,’ Innocence supplied. Very helpful.

Tenacity huffed. ‘You never had a proper stew, Roy, had you.’

He opened his mouth to object—and hesitated. The closest approximation of home cooking he had ever had was Tenacity’s cooking, those times when Roy had stayed with the hunter for long periods. Everything else was always something that could be consumed quickly, and he had learnt to ignore flavour and texture long time ago. He had to survive, that was all. No time to be picky. No Serum to spare on something as frivolous as a slow meal.

‘All right, tough guy, here.’ Tenacity held the spoon to him, and Roy accepted it.

He reached into the pot and tried to catch one of those black bits. He blew on the steaming stew, then tried it. The black bit turned out to be crunchy roasted mole skin, and the broth was thick with spices. Roy swallowed and returned the spoon to Tenacity. ‘Needs more salt.’

Tenacity laughed. ‘You are never satisfied.’

‘If you add more salt, I will be.’


End file.
